Is Authenticity Killing Advertising?

Is Authenticity Killing Advertising?

Imagine if Cigarette’s had just been invented and marketers began to sell there goods, do you think cigarettes would take off with the new media now available? They would have to contend with social media and video bloggers, imagine an unboxing of a cigarette packet and a description of the product benefits & cause for health concern. It is hard to lie on the internet as you can easily be found out if your product or services are not authentic and that can go viral faster than the original intention of the marketer.

Now days selling products and services is not just about the product or service you are selling, but it is also about selling yourself and the best way to sell yourself is to be authentic. Remember, people buy from people.

Social Media has changed the media landscape

Advertising has taken a huge shift in recent years. In the past businesses advertised on the range of media where advertising was available. TV, radio, print, billboards etc, this type of advertising is still a large outlet but we have realised the importance of social media marketing and this shift has occurred due to the role social media now plays in our everyday lives.

Social media has given us the ability to sell, not only products, but ourselves. For small businesses such as myself it is about getting my face out there and hopefully people will pick my expertise because they ‘know me’, over that of someone who has not put themselves out there on social media and hence is not known.

People who don’t follow me or like my page could get my number from a google search or the yellow pages, but in this day and age they will still check out my website, see what my business is about and follow a link to one or all of my social pages; as a consumer I always do this. From the posts on my page they can then decide if I’m the right person for them. The information age is here and the information shown via social media can make or break your business.

Let’s paint a picture; I want to sell my house so I decided to go looking for a real estate agent and I googled a couple in the area, I found two companies I liked because they both had a good website. One had a facebook link at the top of the page and after following it I immediately liked them. The facebook page was full of what you’d expect from a real estate; local house listings, a new team member, a link to a blog on the current market but the thing that grabbed me was a few fun posts like this image with the caption #HappyMonday. Such a simple thing that caught my eye and now I ‘like’ their page.

When I go to sell a house in the future, who knows, I may very well use this real estate company now. The other company does not have a social media page (well at least nothing I have found on their website) and straight up they have lost my interest and my business. The #HappyMonday post made this company and these people ‘real people’ by adding some character. Not just sell sell sell, but someone who, like many of us, would prefer a longer weekend than going back to work on a Monday morning.

Authentic communication

Social Media has introduced a paradigm shift which has changed the way we communicate to each other. Whether you use social media and are an everyday poster or the occasional poster you are communicating with friends or followers. This shift in communication enables a fantastic platform for people to sell themselves and communicate on a regular basis with a variety of people. When communicating with people by any means I think it is very important to be authentic.

I see authentic communicators as those people who project open-mindedness, understanding, and confidence. If a client sees you as one person on social media and they hire you based on this, you need to live up to the reputation, so being yourself is very important in both social media and face to face.

Presenting yourself as a leader

Rather than following the lead of others I think it’s important to be a leader, take initiative and don’t stay in the safe zone of “well that person thinks this so it must be true”. I think the best traits for leaders are to be approachable and confident; if you present yourself as an approachable yet strong person then who wouldn’t want to use your services.

Stand out from the crowd

You want to stand out from everyone else, particularly those selling similar products or services. Advertisers have tried to do this for as long as advertising has been around. Whether it’s a catchy phrase or a bright coloured image, they want to stand out. Same goes for selling yourself. You want to be liked and you want to be remembered. If you stand out people will remember you and they are more likely to use or refer your services.

People buy from people!

A large percentage of my business is referral based; people directly telling people about the quality of my work or people indirectly telling people (testimonials). For this reason it is important to be an authentic communicator; open minded, strong and confident; so that you are recommended and your business can grow.

Many people (me included) who buy a new product, research the product. They check out the star rating and product reviews and it helps them determine whether the product is right for them. The same goes for services, we check out testimonials and reviews. So you need to be the person people recommend; being a person who is authentic, a stand out and a leader will certainly have people recommending you to others.

Non referral based work is where the rest of the business comes in. This means first impressions and the way you communicate with people is very important. I know if I need someone to do some work I usually get three quotes. I do not do this to get the cheapest quote; there are other things I look for. Can I talk to the person and do they listen, do they get back to me in a reasonable amount of time and do I trust and like them. I know I am not alone here; it is hard to hire someone you just don’t feel good about. Be the stand out that people choose by being authentic, which can be expressed on social media!

Social Marketing

As communication channels widen and are taken up by the masses I see authenticity as becoming the new way to advertise and while face to face relations are still important social media is a great platform to get yourself and your business out there. I have summarised a guide on how to post on social media which includes 5 essential post types along with examples to get you going. It has and continues to improve my business, go check it out here.

Daniel Borg

Creative Director

psyborg® was founded by Daniel Borg, an Honours Graduate in Design from the University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia. Daniel also has an Associate Diploma in Industrial Engineering and has experience from within the Engineering & Advertising Industries.

Daniel has completed over 2000 design projects consisting of branding, illustration, web design, and printed projects since psyborg® was first founded. psyborg® is located in Lake Macquarie, Newcastle but services business Nation wide.

6 Comments

The expensive world of advertising is outside of the reach of most small businesses, so the authentic PR that most are trying to achieve out of new social media outlets is becoming the new norm. However, there is such a space for experts like psyborg® to guide the small business operator so they can ‘stick to the knitting’ and have quality guidance with regards to creating engaging content. My business Hunter Recruitment Group celebrates 10 years of successful business in 2016 and we have spent very little in that time on traditional forms of advertising yet have invested time, resources and cash into ensuring that we are authentic in all mediums and delivery. This truly escalated when we engaged psyborg® many years before this post – he is ahead of his time!

Hey Craig. Your point of how expensive it is to advertise in traditional media is on point which is further adding to the paradigm shift. Really appreciate your kind words as to how we have helped you grow your business. It has been an absolute pleasure.

Daniel, great insights on social media and being authentic. I have seen a number of clever businesses using a mix of informing and entertaining posts. They have caught my attention and keep it. When the time is right they will be my 1st port of call.
There have been others that take funny too far or are plain rude online and this is a major put off.
Reminds me of a quote I recently saw “Dance like no one is watching, text like it is on record for life”
Cheers,
Paul

“Dance like no one is watching, text like it is on record for life” I love this Paul & it is so true. It is important to establish a plan so one understands the limitations of what is palatable from a mass consumption point of view as getting it wrong can quickly untangle any benefit. What’s your T-Shirt size? You are part mind | part machine!

I like that you have defined the difference between referral based work and non-referral based work. I think so many people get caught up in “just word of mouth” and forget about the multitudes of other people that may find you outside of being told about you.

I always think of the term cost of conversation in regards to social media as well, in that it doesn’t cost you anything to post content or reply and what it can lead to.

The example of the cigarette advertising is certainly a blast from the past and definitely drives home your point about authenticity as well. Good work!

Thanks for your feedback Beau… yes, referrals do not have to come from previous clients but from those that deem you as credible from what they have learned about you on Social. I know for sure that this has happened to my business on several occasions. And yes, I’m glad you got the link, comparing against old ways of advertising to now as this certainly illustrates how things are changing.